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Nepal’s Social Media Bill 2081: Review and Discussion
UNESCO, in collaboration with the Federal Parliament Secretariat, organized a discussion with the Members of Parliament of National Assembly and House of Representative on the Social Media Bill 2081.
Held on 5–6 February, the workshop convened Members of Parliament from various parliamentary committees where national and international experts observed key elements of the proposed legislation and provided recommendations to uphold international human rights standards. The workshop aimed to empower MPs to foster a legal regulatory environment that fosters and promotes information integrity focusing on international standards of freedom of expression and access to information and on the importance of a multistakeholder approach on social media regulation.
Social media has both positives and negatives. Great power comes with great responsibility. Nepal government needs to ask itself, does this bill protect our citizens’ rights or just provide more power for the government to control freedom of expression.
A parliamentarian interacting with the experts during the workshop.
Strengthening the capacity building processes that 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ driven since ¹ó±ð²ú°ù³Ü²¹°ù²â–M²¹°ù³¦³ó and September 2024, this event engaged key stakeholders to discuss the importance of reviewing the recently proposed social media bill through a human rights and multistakeholder approach. The legislative review process will be of utmost importance to ensure and an outcome that aligns to international human rights standards, reflects global best practices and attends Nepal's specific needs.
Ahead of the workshop, UNESCO conducted a comprehensive review of Nepal’s social media Bill 2081, based on international human rights principles and on the . Dr. Joan Barata Mir, as Senior Consultant for UNESCO, developed this legal analysis to inform the bill revision process. In this regard, the independent experts participating in the workshop agreed on the importance of a deep and conscious revision of the Bill to uphold human rights international standards as well as those rights recognized in the Nepali Constitution. They also praised parliament’s willingness in engaging with the multistakeholder community to have a better understanding of the different approaches and nuances of digital platform governance.
In any case, when regulating digital platforms, you must do your part and ensure that governments do theirs. The responsibility does not fall solely on digital platforms; it also depends on others creating an environment that enables freedom of expression. This requires various duties from government actors
Ana Cristina Ruelas, Senior Programme Specialist on Freedom of Expression at UNESCO stressed on Freedom of expression thrives when governance mechanisms are independent, open, transparent, and accountable during her presentation.
UNESCO, as the leading UN agency to promote freedom of expression worldwide, remains committed to supporting Nepal in this very important legislative process, reinforcing Nepal’s democratic foundation, building a resilient and enabling environment for the media and freedom of expression. UNESCO actively collaborates with Member States worldwide to promote freedom of expression, access to information, media and information literacy and the safety of journalists. Through its continued efforts to uphold the principles set on the Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms, UNESCO provides technical expertise, capacity-building, and policy support to promote freedom of expression and information integrity worldwide.
